Peters – first male nurse in SVG to obtain Master’s degree

Roland Peters, rising above all obstacles set before him, has become the first male nurse in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to obtain his Master’s degree in Nursing, with specialization in education.

Peters is a graduate of the Coulls Hill Primary {{more}}School’s class of 1997 and the Union Island Secondary School’s (UISS) class of 2002. He graduated from the UISS with six CXC subjects, following which he attended the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines School of Nursing from 2004 to 2008, before attending the Walden University, Baltimore, from 2013 to 2015.

Born in a family where his father was absent, Peters’ mother struggled financially, resulting in him not having all his school materials.

“I went to school hungry many days,” he told SEARCHLIGHT in a telephone interview.

Many of his material possessions were therefore usually secondhand.

Due to the fact that his mother could not afford to send him to a secondary school, he moved to Union Island, having completed his primary education, where family members there helped him through secondary school.

However, Peters explained that when the family took in three other family members shortly thereafter, he was sent to live on his own. As a result, he experienced financial difficulties attending school, which prompted him to acquire a part-time job on evenings, feeding the pigs belongong to a businessman on the island.

With no parental guidance, he was determined to complete secondary school, he said. He was particularly attentive while in class, and said he walked to and from school on a daily basis.

Over the years, while the relationship with his family in Union Island was rekindled, his struggles of finding school materials and food continued.

Peters said when he made it to fourth form, he reached out to Earl “Old George” Daniel and Dorris Brown, who assisted him in paying for his subjects.

That year, he graduated with six subjects: Integrated Science, Agriculture Science, Principles of Business, Food and Nutrition, Home Management and Social Studies.

However, this was not the end of his struggles. Upon returning to the mainland, Peters said he had to turn to friends for shelter, because of a dispute involving his family members and when he was rejected by two local colleges, at which he sought a place, he was further motivated to succeed.

Peters therefore worked as a security guard with Humble Security Services and attended evening classes.

Things took on a further glimmer of hope when he passed English Language, which was a requirement for entry into the School of Nursing.

He enrolled there and successfully completed the training programme; but he “still had a drive to go further.”

Nurse Peters worked in Barbados and Barbuda, and was successful in his application to Walden School, his school of choice, because of its history and accreditation.

Peters graduated from Walden School on August 16, 2015 making him the first male nurse in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to obtain this degree.

Peters told SEARCHLIGHT that his next goal is to move towards his doctorate and to also continue to build his foundation, through which scholarships have been provided to students in Coulls Hill who lack the means to attend school.

“Pray and work towards your goals,” were Peters’ words of encouragement to persons who are encountering struggles.